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Cultural Landscape of Bali Province: the Subak System as a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana Philosophy

Near Munduk · Indonesia

Background

World Heritage since
2012
Type of site
Cultural
Subak system begins
9th c.

The cultural landscape of Bali consists of five rice terraces and their water temples covering 19,500 hectares. UNESCO explains that the temples are the focus of a cooperative water management system of canals and weirs known as subak, dating back to the 9th century, and that the landscape includes the 18th-century Royal Water Temple of Pura Taman Ayun, the largest of its kind on the island.

The subak expresses the philosophy of Tri Hita Karana, which brings together the realms of the spirit, the human world and nature, born of 2,000 years of exchange between Bali and India. Its democratic, egalitarian farming has made the Balinese the most prolific rice growers in the archipelago. Pura Ulun Danu Batur, dedicated to Vishnu and the goddess of Lake Batur, was rebuilt in 1926 after the original temple was destroyed, and is one of the sites that make up the listing.

More on the UNESCO listing More on Wikipedia

  1. 9th c.The subak water-management system is recorded
  2. 18th c.The Royal Water Temple of Pura Taman Ayun is built
  3. 1926Pura Ulun Danu Batur is rebuilt on its present site
  4. 2012Inscribed as World Heritage

Find Your Way Around

The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them

  1. 1
    Jatiluwih Rice Terraces
    The widest of the listed terraces, under Mount Batukaru; the GoGo guide visits from Ubud.
  2. 2
    Pura Taman Ayun
    The royal water temple in its moat at Mengwi.
  3. 3
    Pura Ulun Danu Batur
    The temple of the lake goddess on the rim of the Batur caldera.
  4. 4
    Ulun Danu Beratan
    The lake temple at Bedugul, paired with Jatiluwih in the GoGo guide.
  5. 5
    Tegallalang
    The stepped paddies nearest Ubud, best at sunrise.
  6. 6
    Tirta Empul
    Where Balinese purify themselves under the holy spring spouts.

Know Before You Go

From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides

Before Eight
The GoGo guide is at Tegallalang at 7:00, before the crowds and the heat.
Sarong and Sash
Temples require a sarong and sash, usually lent at the gate.
Driver for the Day
Jatiluwih and the Beratan lake temple are a day's loop from Ubud with a driver.
Walk the Terraces
Paths run through the Jatiluwih paddies; wear shoes that can get muddy.

Terraces and Lake Temple

From the GoGo Ubud guide · Open the Ubud Guide ›

  1. 07:00
    Tegallalang Rice Terraces2 hrs
    Stepped paddies at sunrise.
  2. 09:00
    Jatiluwih Rice Terraces2 hrs
    The UNESCO subak terraces.
  3. 12:30
    Ulun Danu Beratan Temple90 min
    The lake temple at Bedugul.
  4. 19:30
    Legong Dance at Ubud Palace90 min
    Balinese dance back in Ubud.

Best Time to Visit

Best months: May–Aug. Rainy season Nov–Mar.

Typical highs

Best monthsRain: wettest Jan (318 mm), driest Aug (16 mm)

Climate: NASA POWER

Sources
UNESCO World Heritage Centre, listing 1194 · Wikipedia: Pura Ulun Danu Batur · GoGo Ubud guide · UNESCO listing